rear gas tank ?'s

I am ready to put the rear tank back in my cj5, the tank was in the back yard for about 2 years, so when i got it out it was about 1/4 full of rusty looking fuel. i dumped it in the lawn(yes i know it was a bad idea). but what my question is, do i need to clean it out? and how would i do this? its made of like 3/16 steel. it is its own skid plate.
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i can weld, so could i cut it and weld it after i clean but idk if i need to go to that trouble. will rust be that big of a deal??

 

I just put a new one in my jeep. Only 99 bucks plus shipping. Brand new, fit perfect. New sending unit too. It all went good. My old tank looked good but still leaked. I dont think the old one is worth messing with.

 

:iagree:
For that price, it wouldn't pay to do all the cleaning and sealing. Which in my opinion wouldn't get ALL of the rust out, leading to clogged carb.

And shame on ya for dumping the fuel in the yard!!!eek: Yer supposed to save it for killing bees!R)

 

If its made of that heavy of steel I definately would clean and seal it. YMMV

 

yeah its plenty thick and it didn't leak and i was wondering the best way to get rid of rust. thanks for the replies. R)
i think im gonna just fill it with water, cut a window(big enough so i could hand clean the entire inside), then i would weld her back up. price would be zero.R) would just take time. witch i have plenty of.R)
and while im in there ill check out the pickup tube witch is one of my main worries about the old tank.